Reviews: SatHawk PVR800 WorldDVB DVB-S2 HD FTA Receiver

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Thanks for uploading the manual, Iceberg.

It did tell me one thing I hadn't bothered to work out yet, namely, how to select the left or right audio channel from a radio channel that has two different programs.

Unfortunately, other things in the manual are incomplete or just plain wrong. For example, it claims that if you select LPCM output, it'll decode AC3, and it doesn't. It also says it has optical audio output and RF TV output, which it doesn't. (And given the latter, the presence of a TV/STB button on the remote makes no sense.) It doesn't explain what the ethernet port is for, in fact the ethernet section seems to have been truncated. And it says that it will only use the first partition of a drive for recording, but then doesn't explain why there's a partition selection option in the menus. (I haven't tried multiple partitions to see what happens.)

It also neglects to say that if you have the timeshift function enabled, the recall button brings up the timeshift bar instead of going to the previous channel like it's supposed to. (Never mind that this is just plain stupid, since you can get into timeshift mode by just pressing any of the speed or direction control buttons.)

It doesn't say anything about how to watch one program while recording another. I still can't imagine why it's working for some people and not for me.
 
New discovery: while recording, you can only bring up the first Info bar. Clicking twice to get the signal strength and PIDs doesn't work.
 
I thought I would record a long HD feed tonight to see what it did about the file sizes, since the progress bar that shows when you're recording only goes out to two hours even though I had formatted the disc as NTFS. Well, I didn't get to find out. I had closed the progress bar so I could watch the program, and everything seemed to be going OK, but after 3 1/2 hours when the program ended I hit the stop button, only to find out that at some point the user interface had hung even though the program was playing fine. So I cycled the power, expecting to find the file gone. The file was there, but it was only 45 minutes long. Apparently, the recording process crashed at the 45 minute point.

But there's more. When I played it back to see if it was corrupted, I found that it was stuttering continuously, despite the fact that it played fine live. And it's not a drive speed issue, because it plays back fine on my computer. It's a 1080i MPEG2 file at 36 megabits per second.
 
Ok in a nutshell how is this receiver doing AC3? Looks like not thru LPCM as the manual states. The B/S setting? Then only thru an HDMI cable to the Tv? Or are we still using the Sonic Voom/ Home theatre like most of us have been for AC3?
Too much info so my brain overloaded on this one....Blind
 
Manual has some errors (grammatically and in how to). If you have corrections, please post them here or PM me.
 
I believe using the "BS" setting and Cable to Sound Receiver / Sonic Voom.
I know it's not via HDMI.

It DOES output AC3 to an audio receiver via HDMI when in bitstream mode. If it's not working for you, your audio receiver doesn't process audio via HDMI.
 
It DOES output AC3 to an audio receiver via HDMI when in bitstream mode.
Using PBS Channels on 125 west, I get no sound with the PVR800, unplug the HDMI and connect the AZBox and get sound.
I'm confused. :(
 
Using PBS Channels on 125 west, I get no sound with the PVR800, unplug the HDMI and connect the AZBox and get sound.
I'm confused. :(

I believe the Azbox is doing the ac3 decoding, the PVR800 does not, it just sends it out on my hdmi cable, in my case its my a/v receiver that does the decoding. what are you running the hdmi into?
 
I'm in the same boat as Lak7

HDMI from TV to reciever

azbox decodes it fine to the TV
Sathawk doesnt
 
HDMI goes to TV, then passes via Optical to A/V Receiver.

Many TVs will NOT pass Dolby to their optical output from anything other than their OTA tuner. Some lame attempt at enforcing copy protection.
 
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I tried PBS, Pentagon and a couple others that have AC-3 option...nothing through the TV

works fine through the sonic voom
 
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Anyone ever have a problem with floating platforms messing up the dish?

Royal Pain